MSE News: Half of meat-eaters happy to eat horsemeat

BACKFRMTHEEDGE

Edwardia wrote: »

There was a phone-in on BBC Radio Five Live today (radio equivalent of the Daily Mail) about Buying British. A butcher was saying that non-organic chicken breasts are 'pumped' ie pumped up with 50% glucose syrup. He told Nicky campbell that any chicken sandwich he bought in a petrol station was likely to be made of pumped Thai chicken (and he didn't mean seasoning).

Plastic Chicken

The 'plastic chicken' that's only 51% meat

The ingredients on what looks like a 'natural' chicken breast can include a bizarre cocktail of materials designed to hold in the water.
They will include salt, stabilisers (E450, E451), the milk protein lactose and the sweeteners dried glucose syrup and dextrose to counteract the salt.
The use of pig material may be described - where there are labels - as hydrolised protein.
Flavour enhancers such as E649 and E621 are also often used to disguise the washed-out taste.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-181626/The-plastic-chicken-thats-51-meat.html

Edwardia

BACKFRMTHEEDGE wrote: »

Did you do anything else? - like quitting drink?

Nope just switched to organic. GP was surprised too. There are way more additives in food and toxins in the atmosphere. than there used to be. Babies being born in Boston, Massachusetts now have 300 toxins in their cord blood.

Any chemicals we breathe in, or put on our skin or hair or eat as additives end up being dealt with by the liver.

Backfromtheedge I have type 2 diabetes so I don't want to be eating that kind of chicken. It's not just chicken though, I found pork loin steaks with added water, glucose and additives. Natural chicken and pork would have 0 carbs, there is never anything in the ingredients to tell anyone with diabetes how much glucose (will go straight into the bloodstream) there is in these things.

Fire_Fox

BACKFRMTHEEDGE wrote: »

That's the point. Why would you look at the ingredients list??? It's obviously unreliable. If it's not beef when the ingredients list says it is then how can you trust that the rest of the ingredients are as stated? It's more like a wish list of what the seller hopes it is!

Why wouldn't you look at the ingredients list, since you were not aware it might be unreliable up until a few week ago? Why would you buy something containing very little cheese, loads of refined starches, MSG and salt, hydrogenated vegetable oil, sugars? How is horsemeat significantly different to beef nutritionally? Or are you suggesting other subs may have been made that make it healthier?

I wouldn't say this slop - or most of the other adulterated/ contaminated products - was every safe to eat on more than an occasional basis. If people were sticking to the healthy eating guidelines they would have eaten little to no horsemeat anyway. That is why you read the ingredients list, so you put it right back in the supermarket freezer NOT in your trolley. Ditto what you describe in post 32!

"Pasta (20%) (Water, Durum Semolina, Dried Egg White), Water, Beef (16%), Tomato Puree, Tomatoes (10%), Reconstituted Skimmed Milk, Onions (3.5%), Red Leicester Cheese (2.5%), Mushrooms (2%), Modified Starch, Maltodextrin, Whipping Cream (1%), Wheatflour, Starch, Milk Proteins, Salt, Starch, Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Potassium Chloride, Garlic, Herbs, Flavourings (From Soya), Yeast Extract, Flavour Enhancer (Monosodium Glutamate), Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Spice Extracts (With Nutmeg), Pepper, Colour (Beta Carotene). Salt Content 0.7%."

BACKFRMTHEEDGE

Edwardia wrote: »

Nope just switched to organic. GP was surprised too.

Wow that is amazing then...where did you buy your organic meat? Did you go organic fruit & veg too?

BACKFRMTHEEDGE

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Why wouldn't you look at the ingredients list, since you were not aware it might be unreliable up until a few week ago? Why would you buy something containing very little cheese, loads of refined starches, MSG and salt, hydrogenated vegetable oil, sugars? How is horsemeat significantly different to beef nutritionally? Or are you suggesting other subs may have been made that make it healthier?

I wouldn't say this slop - or most of the other adulterated/ contaminated products - was every safe to eat on more than an occasional basis. If people were sticking to the healthy eating guidelines they would have eaten little to no horsemeat anyway. That is why you read the ingredients list, so you put it right back in the supermarket freezer NOT in your trolley. Ditto what you describe in post 32!

"Pasta (20%) (Water, Durum Semolina, Dried Egg White), Water, Beef (16%), Tomato Puree, Tomatoes (10%), Reconstituted Skimmed Milk, Onions (3.5%), Red Leicester Cheese (2.5%), Mushrooms (2%), Modified Starch, Maltodextrin, Whipping Cream (1%), Wheatflour, Starch, Milk Proteins, Salt, Starch, Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Potassium Chloride, Garlic, Herbs, Flavourings (From Soya), Yeast Extract, Flavour Enhancer (Monosodium Glutamate), Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Spice Extracts (With Nutmeg), Pepper, Colour (Beta Carotene). Salt Content 0.7%."

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make to be honest? Did you read my post #14?

Fire_Fox

BACKFRMTHEEDGE wrote: »

I'm not sure what point you are making to be honest? Do you never use any spices? What do you do grow your own?

Don't grow anything, I live in upper floor city centre apartment in a food desert! Tho I am trying to get involved in a community vegetable box project.

I largely cook from scratch using ingredients that look much like when they came off the plant or tree, mostly one or two ingredients rather than a lengthy list. I use spices regularly, they add flavour and are packed with minerals and antioxidant phytonutrients. Tho garlic and red chilli more than anything else.

Point as per earlier posts
"I don''t know why anyone is getting irate about any possible chemicals in the horsemeat, if you eat Findus lasagne and the other 'contaminated/ adulterated' slop you are likely eating far worse than a few molecules of horse drugs in the 16% meat. The British public don't eat the basics of a healthy diet anyway - three servings of fruit and veg a day and one third of a serving of oily fish a week is the national average. Far more harmful than the possibility of horse of dubious origin. Most of our food animals are dosed up with chemicals during their life anyway, not many of us are eating organic meat, eggs and dairy ....

If you were eating these burgers or pasta products regularly, quite frankly the bute would be the least of your worries. Look at the ingredients lists and nutrition data, consider the effects of the salt, saturated fats, additives, lack of fibre vitamins and minerals. These nasties ARE present at levels great enough to harm health if consumed regularly, additionally digesting and processing uses up micronutrients that are not being replenished by the food."

Edwardia

Backfrmtheedge - yes I eat organic vegetables, dairy, fruit, poultry and meat plus wild game and fish. If I can't get organic, wild or additive free - I don't buy it. My meat and poultry comes from Laverstoke Park Farm or Daylesford Organic Farm mostly, from Abel & Cole or Ocado.

Fire Fox - I think backfrmtheedge means why would anyone read ingredients on a ready meal since even if we do, we don't know what the heck is in it.

I have to say that I don't know when ready meals really became something other than an emergency item stashed in the freezer. But even before that, there were things like custard powder, gravy mixes, instant puddings, blancmange and jelly powders - some of which date back to the early 20th century.

frugal_shopper_2

Fire_Fox wrote: »

How is horsemeat significantly different to beef nutritionally?

There is a comparison between horsemeat & minced beefs nutritional values here:
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2013/02/horsemeat-scandal-whats-all-the-fuss-about/

Kirri

Chinese tomatoes...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/27/asda-italy-tomato-puree-china

Edwardia

I'm not at all shocked by this myself, because it's been known for years for example, that olive oil producers import olives from north Africa and the Middle East and produce olive oil which is bottled in Tuscany but not made with the local olives.

It's why producers want DOP to ensure that they get control over things like champagne, Stilton, Cornish pasties, Mozzarella etc.